I don't usually use this forum to promote awareness of commercial products but in this case I'm willing to make an exception.
Pelmorex Communications Inc. the owners of The Weather Network and MétéoMédia have a proposal before the CRTC for an national emergency warning system.
The ALL CHANNEL ALERT (ACA) emergency alerting service is a warning system for Canadians that would alert communities of impending local emergencies threatening life or property with a message on their television screens. No matter what television channel you are watching on cable or satellite, you will be notified immediately if an emergency warning is issued that affects you and your community. Only messages from authorized government agencies, like Environment Canada or your local municipality, will be broadcast.For example, the ACA service would be used to warn you of threat from tornadoes, severe thunderstorms, hailstorms, earthquakes, forest fires, acts of terrorism, chemical spills and nuclear waste accidents.
The ACA service is quick, efficient and can reach a large number of people in seconds; it delivers the message unaltered from the authorized government agency, and therefore is not subject to interpretation; it is available in both official languages; has national coverage and targets the message to the local viewing area affected by the emergency.
I strongly believe this service should exist and, frankly, I really don't care who provides it as long as it works. The lack of a national warning service puts thousands of Canadians at unnecessary risk every year. Pelmorex has both experience and expertise in this area. Their proposal will cost cable and satellite subscribers 8 cents per month. I consider that a bargain. It isn't clear if the service will be available to broadcast stations but the website seem to suggest it will be.
The ACA web site is here. I'm not urging you to support the Pelmorex application per se. If you are not comfortable supporting this particular proposal, let the government know you want to see the service provided by someone.
What if you don't watch T.V. much? What if you're sleeping. Wouldn't it be better to have some sort of device (something like Satellite Radio) that has an alarm to get your attention? The TV idea seems a little limited.
Peter - It's all limited in the sense that it doesn't matter what you do, you will never get 100% coverage.
I am rarely near a TV set during the day and the same is true in the evening 6 months of the year. I'm not connected to the internet for hours at a time and I am often either out of cell phone range or deliberately not packing one so automatic text messaging wouldn't always reach me. I don't listen to the radio from one week to the next and, like most Canadians, I don't own a satellite radio receiver nor do I have any intention of ever owning one.
If warnings were carried on every possible medium, there is a chance I might receive it. That said, nothing is a limited as the total absence of any system that we have now. Surely, even if only 25% of the population got the warning, that would still be a significant improvement over 0%. And I would gladly send them their $1.00 a year just to accomplish that much.
Hi Mahigan,
I agree with you that this is a much better solution than what we have now, but I think there could be a better solution. I think you misunderstood my satellite radio comment. I was not saying that people would need to subscribe to satellite radio. I just think that it's a good example of a technology that could be employed to alert people of an emergency situation.
First of all, the satellites cover most of the country. Every emergency would be broadcast by satellite with details of the emergency and the area the emergency is located. The device would have it location set (or a gps built for mobile alert). Once it receives an emergency and determines it's in its area, it will sound an alarm (you don't need to be listening or watching).
Buying the device would be the only cost. The service should be provided free by funding by all levels of government (emergency preparedness). I would think people could buy a device for a pretty cheap price (guess $50- $100) because it could be derived from Satellite Radio technology. Heck the satellite radio guys might subsidize it just to get receivers in peoples home.
I would think the price would drop low enough to allow every home and car to have one of these devices.
Anyway just an idea.
Another obvious example of contracting out for profit what ought to be a free public service paid for by tax dollars, whatever technical means are used?